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March 12, 2018

Last summer 17 youth from Haisla Nation spent ten days participating in a cultural revival camp. The focus of the camp was to teach participants about Haisla culture and to be respectful of Haisla resources.

A cultural tourism and marketing initiative developed by the Nisg̲a’a Lisims Government boosts tourism in the Nass Valley, raises the profile of its entrepreneurs, and reinforces the sovereignty and culture of the Nisg̲a’a Nation.

March 9, 2018

Are you an analytical, organized, and driven individual with an awareness of the principals of conservation and sustainable development? Coast Funds is looking for a data analyst intern to join our team this summer. This is a unique opportunity to learn about First Nations communities in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii while supporting a multi-year project that endeavours to measure the outcomes of ten years of funding.

Spirit Bear Lodge, owned and operated by Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation, has become a successful model for conservation-based ecotourism. The Lodge has helped strengthen economic, conservation, and cultural well-being in the community of Klemtu.

March 7, 2018

The Nisg̲a’a Lisims Government has won an Open for Business Award in the First Nations category. Over the past two years, Nisga’a Lisims Government invested over $1.2 million in infrastructure for tourism and six Nisg̲a’a entrepreneurs.

March 5, 2018

The Heiltsuk Nation is pleased with Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s announcement on that it is suspending the 2018 commercial roe herring fishery on the Central Coast. The decision will give stocks an opportunity to recover on the central coast.

February 14, 2018

Representatives of two First Nations in the Great Bear Rainforest and a conservation financing group are in Colombia this week to share what they’ve learned about supporting environmental stewardship and sustainable economic development.

February 8, 2018

In Spring 2017 a new Gitga’at Cetacean Research Station was built on Fin Island, Gitga’at Territory. The station allows researchers and Gitga’at Guardians to gain a deeper understanding of whale abundance in the area, and marks the first time Guardians will be able to scan for whales during daylight hours from May to September.

January 11, 2018

A new management plan is being developed for Gwaii Haanas that is as unique and interconnected as the place itself. The plan recognizes the interconnectedness of land, sea, and people the region and incorporates Haida priorities and perspectives.

January 8, 2018

Nuxalk Nation is having a big impact on the landscape of Bella Coola and its members living there. The Nation has developed a groundbreaking housing program designed not only to build homes for its members, but to do so in an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable way.

December 18, 2017

The Gitga’at First Nation celebrated the grand opening of their newly acquired office building in downtown Prince Rupert on December 16, 2017. Purchase of the building allows the Nation to more easily service their community and members living in Prince Rupert.

December 8, 2017

Coast Funds’ director Wally Eamer and the role he played in the ground-breaking Great Bear Rainforests Agreements were recently the subject of an in-depth profile on the Harvard Business School Alumni website.

December 6, 2017

Kitasoo Seafoods and Kitasoo Development Corporation director Larry Greba were recently featured in the Smithsonian Magazine. Greba spoke with journalist Lorraine Boissoneault about the mysterious and valuable sea cucumber and the role the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation plays in ensuring its population is properly managed.

November 10, 2017

Wuikinuxv Nation has developed the 350 kW Nicknaqueet River Hydropower Project, utilizing abundant hydro resources to displace diesel in the remote community of Rivers Inlet. This clean energy projects supplies over 97% of the electricity in Rivers Inlet, does not impact Wuikinuxv’s globally significant salmon runs, and saves the community over $1 million in operating costs a year.

November 1, 2017

Na̲nwak̲olas is thrilled to be acquiring the ‘platinum standard setting’ Knight Inlet Lodge – a business that, under the guidance of Dean and Kathy Wyatt, has become the leader in the eco-adventure lodge business in British Columbia, with an international reputation that is second to none.

October 26, 2017

In 1999 Kitasoo/Xai’xais launched Spirit Bear Lodge from a little red-roofed float house anchored at Klemtu’s docks. Today a luxurious new lodge accommodates visitors from around the world, most of whom come to tour the nearby islands in hope of spotting and photographing bears.

October 16, 2017

This October, Sevenseas Marine Conservation & Travel Magazine is featuring stories previously published by First Nations in Coast Funds’ Talking Stick as well as features on Marine Planning Partnerships in the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii.

September 11, 2017

Featured on the business section cover in this week’s Campbell River Mirror, the Wei Wai Kum Nation is serving up a powerful example of how First Nations are investing in the expansion of reliably performing tourism businesses to create significant new sources of revenue and jobs for their people.

September 6, 2017

The fall 2017 issue of Talking Stick features the Wei Wai Kum Nation’s new seaside cottages in Campbell River, Old Massett Village Council’s longhouse village at Tlielang (Hiellen), and how First Nations are creating family-supporting jobs across the coast.

September 4, 2017

By expanding a reliably performing tourism business—Thunderbird RV Park—Wei Wai Kum Nation is investing in economic development to reach new markets, providing significant new sources of revenue and employment for its people.

July 31, 2017

Working with the Heiltsuk Integrated Resource Management Department, scientists from Simon Fraser University’s Department of Biological Sciences, University of British Columbia’s Department of Statistics, and the Hakai Institute, the Qqs Projects Society built a traditional fish weir in the lower Koeye River—and then used it to generate a wealth of useful data about salmon health. The

Old Massett Village Council’s promising new venture, Hiellen Longhouse Village, is providing ecotourism experiences of visitors to Haida Gwaii, creating jobs and training for locals, and hosting events that contribute to the Haida Nation’s ongoing cultural revitalization.

June 26, 2017

A new study in the peer-reviewed open-access journal Ecosphere deepens our understanding of the connections between salmon and bear populations. Using a chemical technique known as stable isotope analysis, researchers examined samples of hair left by more than 1,400 grizzly and black bears from 1995 to 2014 at the places they feed on salmon in more than 690,000 square

June 19, 2017

On National Aboriginal Day June 21st, Old Massett Village Council is welcoming all community members to participate in a joyful event: the raising of a totem pole at Hiellen Longhouse Village. Located at the mouth of the Hiellen River in Haida territory on Graham Island, this site hosts a thriving Haida-owned business that rents longhouse-styled cabins

June 16, 2017

The Spring 2017 edition of Talking Stick features a story on the origins and accomplishments of the Coastal Stewardship Network, and reflections from the Council of the Haida Nation on its implementation of the Kunst’aa Guu-Kunst’aayah Reconciliation Protocol.

The Coastal Stewardship Network is supporting its member First Nations as they’ve established sophisticated monitoring programs and their analyses informing vital environmental and resource management decisions.

May 18, 2017

Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw Nation creativity and entrepreneurial optimism shone May 17 in Port Hardy during a ceremony to officially launch the Kwa’lilas Hotel, a game-changing economic venture for its people and a significant contribution to the tourism offerings of Vancouver Island.

By establishing Canada’s first land-based Atlantic salmon aquaculture facility with recirculating aquaculture system technology, the ‘Na̲mg̲is First Nation and its diverse partners are proving that environmentally sustainable salmon farming is possible.

March 30, 2017

New research from the Hakai Institute confirms the village site of the Heiltsuk First Nation was occupied by humans as early as 14,000 years ago, which makes it among the oldest of human settlements in North America.

March 23, 2017

An excellent new feature in Nature Conservancy Magazine explores how the Supporting Emerging Aboriginal Stewards program of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Nation not only brings life-changing experiences to young people but also represents a strategic investment in conservation.

February 6, 2017

Coast Funds is pleased to announce a new strategic plan focusing our efforts on three key goals in support of First Nations throughout the Great Bear Rainforest and Haida Gwaii regions of coastal British Columbia.

January 17, 2017

The State of the Gitga’at Ocean Report aims to present Gitga’at members, leaders and research partners with the outcomes of key monitoring activities that have been occurring in the territory in recent years.

December 9, 2016

December 9, 2016

We’re pleased to announce that Coast Funds has moved to a new downtown Vancouver location. The original location served us well, and our new location is the start of a new chapter in Coast Funds’ history.

October 6, 2016

Westcoast Resorts, a Haida owned and operated premium fishing resort operator, announces major enhancements to fishing lodges based on Haida Gwaii and the launch of a new eco-adventure Haida cultural lodge in 2017.

September 14, 2016

First Nations are developing a conservation-based economy throughout coastal British Columbia and have announced the latest results from their ongoing environmental stewardship and sustainable development efforts today.

August 21, 2016

Join Spirit Bear Research Foundation for a day of field research and data collection in Kitasoo/Xai’xais Territory. Grizzly and Black bear hair samples and remote camera videos provide the data that underpins the Foundation’s research program.

July 27, 2016

“Everything you do in our culture is tied to the land and the sea. So when you’re managing salmon or grizzly bears, you can tie that back to stories in our culture and be able to connect the two in a way that government scientists can’t do.”

July 23, 2016

On the first day of summer the original Watchman, Captain Gold arrives by floatplane to witness the blessing of a new cabin at SGang Gwaay. Captain Gold has been working on a dream since he stepped into his canoe and paddled over 250 km to this small island in South Moresby many years ago.

April 29, 2016

April 23, 2016

Coastal Revival is a new documentary series that tells the story of how First Nations, conservationists, researchers and ecotourism are combining to protect some of the most emblematic wildlife on BC’s coast.

April 20, 2016

In 2015, Coast Funds continued to make good progress in supporting First Nations to implement projects. In particular, 2015 saw $6,406,189 approved from the economic development fund and $5,063,632 approved from the conservation fund—the second highest combined volume of annual funding since our inception.

April 15, 2016

A culture camp for Heiltsuk youth in Bella Bella, B.C., is part of a transformation that has essentially eliminated youth suicide and boosted graduation rates, writes Justine Hunter for the Globe and Mail.

April 1, 2016

“We had a belief that you can create long-term sustainable employment in a community without cutting down a tree, taking out a fish, and that there’s people all around the world that would pay to view what we have in the Great Bear Rainforest”